Učka
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Featured:  Illustration: Portrait fantaisiste du marquis de Sade (1866) by H. Biberstein |
The Učka is a mountain range (Template:Lang-hr; Template:Lang-it) that rises behind Opatija riviera, on the Istrian peninsula, in northwestern Croatia. It forms a single morphological unit together with the Čičarija range which streches from the bay of Trieste to Rijeka. Učka is a limestone massif with numerous areas of karst, streching for 20 km from the Poklon Pass (920 m) to Plomin Bay, and is between 4 and 9 km wide.
It differs from all the other coastal mountains in Croatia because of its abundant vegetation on the seaward side. Best known are the forests of sweet chestnuts in the area around Lovran.
Učka's highest peaks are considered nature reserves and memorial areas. It includes the highest peak, Mt. Vojak, (1401 m above sea level) from which there is a magnificent view over the whole of Istria, the Bay of Trieste, the Julian Alps and the Adriatic islands, right down to Dugi Otok.
The subject of a degree of local folklore, Učka is visible from much of the peninsula and is snow-capped some months of the year. The town of Opatija (Template:Lang-it) is said to have derived its popularity as a resort in Imperial Austria because it is located "in the shade" of Mt. Učka, which by legend shields it from the fierce Mediterranean heat in summertime.
The area of Učka is designated a nature park (park prirode), a kind of protected area in Croatia.
